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Game 2
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Sophomore southpaw
Anton Constantino and redshirt freshman designated hitter
Royce Copeland combined efforts Saturday afternoon to lead hosting Slippery Rock University to a 4-3 win over Mercyhurst University in the second game of a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division baseball doubleheader at Jack Critchfield Park.
Constantino entered the contest in the top of the sixth inning with the potential tying and winning runs on third and second bases, respectively, but slammed the door on Mercyhurst's comeback effort, while Copeland (pictured) was 3-for-3 with a double and one run scored to pace an eight-hit offensive attack.
Behind their lead, The Rock were able to snap a three-game losing streak and improve their season records to 22-14 overall and 6-6 in PSAC-West action.
Mercyhurst, which had won the first three games of the weekend series by one-run margins, 1-0 and 2-1 last Friday in Erie and 1-0 in Saturday's first game, ended the weekend with a 24-14 overall record and a 9-7 PSAC-West mark.
Constantino induced the first batter to face him in the top of the sixth inning into a foul pop out and struck the next hitter out swinging. Constantino completed his performance by sidestepping a teammate's error in the top of the seventh to retire the Lakers quietly, recording his second and final strikeout in the process, and pick up his first save of the season.
Redshirt freshman
Jon Anderson was the Game 2 winning pitcher. He improved his season record to 3-0 after allowing three earned runs on six hits, striking out two and walking four in the first five and one-third innings.
Offensively, The Rock to a 1-0 lead on an RBI double to straightaway center field by senior first baseman
John Shaffer that allowed junior shortstop
Will Kengor, who had received a leadoff walk, to round the bases and score all the way from first base.
SRU then plated three runs on four hits and one Mercyhurst error in the bottom of the second to take a 4-0 lead.
Key ingredients in the second-inning rally were a one-out double by junior right fielder
Brandon Myers, a single by Copeland and RBI singles by junior shortstop
Will Kengor and junior second baseman
Graeme Zaparzynski.
A solo home run by Mercyhurst DH Kyle Hagerich in the top of the fifth inning trimmed The Rock margin to 4-1 before Mercyhurst scored two runs in the sixth to narrow the gap to one, 4-3.
That set the stage for Constantino's heroics.
In Game 1, four Rock players had one hit each, highlighted by a leadoff double from junior utilityman
Kevin Jovanovich in the bottom of the seventh inning. But the Green and White failed to dent the plate.
Jovanovich's double, followed by a base on balls issued to the next batter, junior center fielder
Jake Weibley, presented SRU with its best scoring opportunity of the game. But, as Constantino would do in Game 2, Mercyhurst relief ace Tanner Delahoy slammed the door on the rally.
Delahoy entered the game with the potential tying run on second base but quickly induced an unsuccessful sacrifice bunt, a flyout and a game-ending groundout from the next three Rock hitters.
Rock sophomore right-hander
Kyle Schneider was the hard-luck losing pitcher. Schneider struck out nine batters in seven innings, but saw his season record drop to 4-3 after he allowed one earned run on nine hits.
Mercyhurst got three of its hits, headlined by an RBI single from Joe Pantano, in the fifth inning to account for the only run of the game.
The Rock return to action at 3 p.m. Tuesday, when they entertain Notre Dame College of Ohio in a doubleheader at Critchfield Park.
